Childia groenlandica (Levinsen, 1879)

Hooge, Matthew D. & Tyler, Seth, 2008, Acoela (Acoelomorpha) from Bocas del Toro, Panama, Zootaxa 1719, pp. 1-40 : 4

Childia groenlandica (Levinsen, 1879)

( Fig. 1 C)

Material. Living specimens in squeeze preparations.

Localities. Pond Sock Reef (9°17’17.9” N, 82°19’39.9” W), from fine-grained sand at 2 m water depth collected from sediment surrounding a sunken boat.

Description. Specimens ~620 µm long and ~180 µm wide ( Fig. 1 C). Body teardrop-shaped when squeezed. Without distinctive body coloration.

Male gonopore terminal at posterior end of body. Paired male copulatory organs with caudally directed penis stylets at the posterior end of body ( Fig. 1 C).

Remarks. Childia groenlandica is the most widely distributed species of Acoela recorded to date, having been found in the North and South Atlantic Ocean and in the North Pacific Ocean; this is the first record of its occurrence in the Caribbean Sea. Our specimens were less than half the length of specimens of C. groenlandica collected from other locations, but otherwise indistinguishable.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Photomicrographs of living specimens. A. Childia crassum. B. Male copulatory organ of Childia crassum. C. Childia groenlandica.